Journal Article > Study

Distractions can be dangerous for patient safety, particularly during critical processes. This study describes strategies to reduce or eliminate distractions for anesthesia clinicians during the administration of nerve blocks and for nurses during final surgical counts.

Journal Article > Review

Despite large-scale efforts to prevent wrong-site surgeries, they continue to occur. This concept analysis found limited evidence regarding the role of nurses in wrong-site surgery and recommends that future research focus on theoretical frameworks around how preoperative nurses can help avert these never events.

Journal Article > Study

Preventing surgical instruments from being retained in the patient after surgery has traditionally relied on nurses manually counting instruments used during the procedure. However, this method is not foolproof, and this qualitative study used interviews with operating room personnel to explore reasons for incorrect instrument counts. Not surprisingly, the issues identified are known contributors to safety issues in the operating room, including production pressures, poor communication between physicians and nurses, and overt disruptive behavior. In light of these findings, the authors argue that addressing the persistent problem of retained surgical instruments will require an improvement approach based on safety culture principles.